For those I love the most

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/01/the-truth-about-people-with-dyslexia-poem/

Sharing dyslexia with the world

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/channing-tatum-foxcatcher-interview/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000595&_r=0

Winter 2014

So a great deal of time has passed....again. Have I mentioned I have a new grandbaby? ANOTHER girl! R is adorable, of course. 5th grade for Kaliko is not going so great. Her teacher is nice, but doesn't understand dyslexia at all. Keeps sending home notes about flashcards, etc. The fact that the SPED teacher had to retire for medical reasons, the same reasons that caused her to miss most of last year, doesn't help either. Consistency doesn't happen. I went to a local meeting for dyslexia in December, but they haven't had another meeting.....I ran into a wonderful, dear friend yesterday, who is a SPED teacher for the middle school K will go to. She can't wait to have her. I love this woman, but she doesn't have the specific training needed to help either....Told her K was about ready to homeschool, she was sad. For the last year, almost a full year anyway, I've dealt with shoulder pain. I've tried taking it easy, tried physical therapy, next is surgery, on March 6th. I have a torn rotator cup. The doc said the MRI didn't show the tear well, so it may be a clean up job or he may have to use anchors, he won't know till he gets in there. So recovery, could be short or long....I won't be able to use my right arm at all for at least a month-bugger.... it hurts, I want it fixed, the sooner the better. I'm not a good patient. I know that about myself. I'm not patient with myself and I don't like being helpless. I don't like pain meds that make me feel weird, or drowsy, or not in control of my body. Not looking forward to that part. But i really would like to be able to brush my hair without pain, good thing my hair is short. I can't undo my bra either. My hubs is great about helping with that ;-) I've been trying to get projects finished before I'm left handed for awhile. I don't do well as a lefty, I've been practicing. It's not pretty-LOL! My hope is that once I start PT again, I can be more motivated to start working on the rest of my body too. First there was the depression, sitting round crying and staring at the wall for 2 years, I believe, contributed to my injured shoulder, which I think I did shoveling snow last winter. Now, being in pain most of the time, I'm in the worst physical shape of my life. I know at 50 that it's ok to let some things slide, but it's not how I've ever been. I've always been very active and physical and strong. I'm not and I don't like it. My hubs told me that even with both hands tied behind my back, I wouldn't be helpless. I love him for that <3 I've pretty much conquered the depression, naturally, no meds, some therapy, and great support....most people have no idea how bad it was. They've just been a huge part of my recovery by being part of my life. Perhaps, once I can type again,I'll blog about my journey to changing my body..... I'm still selling It Works products. If you're interested my site is https://healthnow.myitworks.com. I love these products! It's snowing again. We received 8in of snow 6 days ago and ice right before that. We haven't had school for an entire week. This is only supposed to be a dusting, but it's coming down pretty well....Let's hope they get to school tomorrow. As it is, our last day of school is May 29th, started at May 19th :-/ I've loved having my girl home everyday. We danced, talked, painted, cooked, tromped around in the snow together. She doesn't want to go back tomorrow. She goes to school to see her friends, period.

Frustration and Confusion

So, here I am again....frustrated after talking to the second in command (as she called herself) for our school district.....I was interested in finding out if we could use assistive technology for K at school, even tho it's not covered by her existing IEP.  #1 point she wanted to make clear is that we don't use label to define our students.  Even tho her own child is dyslexic, they don't describe his LD using a label.  Really???  

There is no cure for this!  It is something that has  to be lived with and dealt with daily for the rest of their lives.  Use the word, teach them how to adapt to a system that that thinks all students should fit into a box!  According to her all LDs are specific so how can we teach all students if they have to learn differently?  She only contradicted herself a few times.....

So, what it boils down to is that our district doesn't recognize dyslexia as a 'specific learning disability'. My opinion is that by not having to label specific disabilities, they don't have to train anyone to actually teach them in a real way that benefits the student......No. I'm not happy. I mentioned that TX has specifically trained teachers for dyslexia on every campus.  She said that violates fedeal law and someday it will come back on them.  How is helping LD students have the same educational advantages as non-LD students breaking the law??  To me that's what IDEA is supposed to be about!  No, i'm not a student of the law and legalese is a foreign language to me, but come on!!!

I like the definition of dyslexia that says it's not a learning disability, it's a teaching liability.  It is more fitting of what our education system is about.  They will label 'gifted' students and have specific programs for them. Why not have them for those others who are outside of that box and are struggling with the way our teachers are taught to teach?  The system is broken and I truely believe that someday we will be pulling Kaliko out of, what is turning out to be, an almost a toxic enviroment.  

Our district is in the middle of, at least, one federal lawsuit for violating the IDEA law.  Will it take more for them to realize that they are not meeting the needs of every student as they claim in their mission statement?  How long are we willing to put K thru it?

What Kaliko Wants To Learn

Here it is Jan 10 and I'm still reading"The Dyslexic Advantage" by Brock and Fernette Eide, and amazing book.  I don't make time to read, like I should, so this is taking awhile.  Part of what i read during K's basketball practice last night, was that dyslexics learn better when they are interested in something.  That is something public schools don't care about, they care about the basics.....so I asked K what she would like to learn about if she could pick any subject in the world to learn about. Her answer was not what I expected.  She said, "I want to know why the kids in my class laugh at me when I mess up a word reading." Wow!  That hit me like a rock!  I told her it's because they don't understand about her dyslexia.  She asked, "How can I make them understand?" So I asked her if she wanted to learn more about dyslexia and she said YES!  Alrighty then.  Now to make this happen for her.

First thing this morning I got on Amazon, my favorite place to buy books, and found books for children to understand dyslexia, 3 of them and another one for me. I'm very proud of her for wanting to understand about how her brain works but also find it heartbreaking.  She tries so very hard to do as well as her classmates and just can't keep up with them.  We do all we can to point out her strengths and victories, but i wonder if we do enough.  Pushing the testing thru was huge for her. Getting her IEP is a giant step in the right direction, even though it doesn't cover reading......if the school district would acknowledge dyslexia it would be extremely helpful.  If they had special clubs for kids with this gift so she wouldn't feel so alone.....they have clubs for the 'gifted' students and they get special field trips, etc.  Why not children like K that need special help too?  The usual "LD" kids get extra help and programs and kids like my Kaliko get left behind.  Is this something I can do?  I know there are other kids there that are dyslexic and they probably feel the same way......time to do more research.

I know there are a few private programs that cost more than most families in the area can afford, I know it's more than we can afford.  Private tutors that are trained in the Orrlingham technique or the Davis technique, but what about us with fewer resources??? Hmmmmmmm.......

K gets to be "Star of the Week" at the end of the month.  We've already started working on her board.  The first thing she asked to put on the board was a picture I showed her, a MRI showing the difference in activity in a dyslexic brain vs. a non-dyslexic brain.  She also wants a picture of Albert Einstein-lol!  I wish she didn't feel so defined by this, but her accepting it and wanting to be educated about it is something to be proud of.  Once she learns more she'll gain more confidence and that, in itself, is a huge victory!  I am so proud of my girl!!!

life settling down, for a little while

it has been so crazy!!  but halloween is over, we do a big display with our neighbors and scare lots of people : )

 someday, i'll post pix.  but for now gotta get ready for Christmas.....already have a few gifts bought and will make a few also.

 Kaliko is being tested for learning disabilities...i don't believe dyslexia is a disability, it's a different way of processing that doesn't work with conventional ways of educating. we are getting her some supplements that are supposed to help with concentration,i have faith they will help.  we will not put her on meds, ever!

i'm reading another book, this one about the finding the strengths of the dyslexic.  they have amazing  brains, i know my hubs does : )

 i'm trying to work on me more now also.  actually do my PT. what??  yeah, really!  my knees are a mess and not getting any better.  i'm working on me emotionally too....a friend recommended reading "you can heal your life" by louise hayes.....it's tough to look at me and who i am and realize that my heart has been hurt for so long that it has held me back from my dreams....i can only get stronger, right?

today, i'm gonna get my craft on, as well as do all the stuff around the house that i'm supposed to do that i don't like doing-lol!  i love being a stay at home mom!  <3